A teardown of the upcoming update to Gmailfor Android -- Gmail 4.6 -- revealed numerous confirmations that ads lay lurking in the update from Google Inc. (GOOG), as well as showcasing some welcome improvements.

Notably Android Policefound strings, 8 classes, and even a full library with "Ad" in their names in the Gmail APK. A big question left unanswered by the teardown is whether the feature will harass users with fake email ads, a feature added in a recent controversial update to the desktop browser client, or simply ad normal banner ads like those found in many free (ad-supported) Android games.

The Droid Guyis claiming the changelog for Gmail 4.6 hints that the new mobile ads will be in the form of email spam.

Gmail 4.6 [Image Source: Android Police]

The update does bring some welcome changes in a heavy overhaul to the Gmail card, including a warning about unset messages, new icons for contacts you don't have a picture of (a stylish letter from their first initial), and darker UI icons.

left: Before the autopicture; right: After the update. [Image Source: Android Police]

The reviewers were indifferent or perhaps slightly negative on the decision to do away with the "cancel" button in the email "send" dialogue, which now requires you to press the "back" button (beneath the screen) to cancel.

Most Android users should get the tile "upgrade" sometime later this week, bringing their freeloading mobile Gmail days to an end.

I'm going to stop you right here. You don't HAVE to set up your GMail account and install apps from the Google Play store if you don't want to. Nothing is stopping you from finding apks online, downloading them and installing them.

In fact (at least on OEM Android), you can disable ALL Google Apps (that's right, all of them) if you don't want to use their services.

You don't have to sign into YouTube to use it. You don't have to set up with your account upon initialization (I've done this before with a gift. I set up the phone without any account because I wanted to optimize settings and install Android 4.1 on it before giving it to them).

So essentially everything you are saying is wrong. You can be Google free and use an Android device no problem.

You don't even need to sideload apps, at least not after the first one. You can sideload a different app store and get your apps from that instead of Google's Play store. e.g. download the Amazon app store app from their website, install it, and get all the apps you want off Amazon's store. Though (horror of horrors) you'll need an Amazon account to use their web store. The nerve of these app store companies, requiring you to have an ID and login so you can make purchases.

I upgraded (and returned) my phone recently, and decided not to give it my gmail login before I'd decided whether I was going to keep the phone. I can assure you, you can use the phone just fine without a gmail account. The only thing that requires the gmail account is the Play store and contacts/data sync with gmail, google docs, etc. If you want to use a different way to backup your contacts, read your email, check your calendar, etc, there are plenty of alternatives out there. You'll just have to go through the work of setting them all up. It's not Google's responsibility to do that for you, it's yours and the developer of the app you decide to use.

Please. By that same token, technically I don't *need* to rely on software developers to compile their programs before putting them on disk either - I could compile them myself. No big deal.

If you want to participate normally in the Android world, you have to set up that Gmail account.

As I noted above already, sure, you can sideload apps. Or maybe sideload some 3rd-part app store thing. But then you're out in the cold for the normal methods of developers getting their apps to you...you can't necessarily count on any given app being available from said 3rd party app store. You're functional...but you're not really participating in the Android environment.

quote: The nerve of these app store companies, requiring you to have an ID and login so you can make purchases.

I'm not making "purchases" - I've never spent actual money on an app. Not that it matters anyway...and it's not the same as like using Newegg or Amazon on a PC. If I blunder by any given web browser, I can browse around on Newegg.com...and if I don't decide to buy anything, I can just leave. If I *do* decide to buy something, *then* I have to log in. Which is perfectly understandable, because at that point a transaction has been requested (by me) and Newegg needs to know who I am.

If Newegg worked that way on a PC, you'd have to set up a Newegg account before you could ever use your PC in the first place, and you'd always be logged in to the Newegg server, no matter what you were doing, and Newegg would always know what you were up to.

quote: If you want to participate normally in the Android world, you have to set up that Gmail account.

Well, you're free to believe whatever you want to believe even if it's wrong. The Kindles use Android, but are locked to the Amazon store. You can't install the Google Play store without rooting them. They seem to be selling just fine. Hardly dysfunctional without a gmail account as you claim.

quote: As I noted above already, sure, you can sideload apps. Or maybe sideload some 3rd-part app store thing. But then you're out in the cold for the normal methods of developers getting their apps to you...you can't necessarily count on any given app being available from said 3rd party app store.

The smart developers have figured out they can offer their apps both in the Play store and on their website. Thinking that everything is only available in the Play store is an iOS-ism, where Apple locks you in and gives you only one way to get apps onto your device. That's not how Android works.

Right, so because you're willing and able to go through all that BS, everyone is willing and able to go through all that BS. <rolleyes>

I never said I wanted to be "Google free." I said I found it offensive that you have to open a Gmail account. Unless, as I already noted, you want to start doing things for yourself (like sideloading apps).

What Platform exists that you do not have to create an account to load apps? They all have it. Apple, Google, BB, WP, even Palm had it. It HAS to have an account with your info so it knows what apps you bought. Using Gmail is an option. No-one has to use it, but an account needs to exist to operate. There is no way around that on any platform.

I think he's complaining that Google has one account which links so many different things together (android phone, gmail, google docs/calendar, google+, youtube, etc).

While yes that's worse from a privacy standpoint, I think it's the lesser of two evils. Since all these Google services are offered by the same company with the same terms and conditions, I'd rather have one account to login to them all, than a dozen different accounts for each different service. Not only is a single account a lot easier on my password memory, it makes cross-linking services a lot easier. If I tap a phone number in a text message I got on my phone, it can cross-reference my gmail contacts, find the number and person, and let me schedule a calendar appointment with said person, and send him an email confirming my appointment. If all those Google accounts were separate, I'd have to login 3 extra times and manually link those 4 apps together to get that cross-functionality to work.

quote: What Platform exists that you do not have to create an account to load apps?

Well, Windows for one. Do you need a Microsoft account to use Windows Update? Or to download or otherwise install any kind of application? No?

quote: It HAS to have an account with your info so it knows what apps you bought

No it doesn't. For one thing, it could just be left up to the user to be the caretaker of their downloads...like in Windows. Secondly...why not let someone use an EXISTING email account they have - regardless of the provider? There's no possible need for a Gmail account if you already have existing email accounts from other services. Just let consumers plug in their existing email address. Done.

quote: No-one has to use it, but an account needs to exist to operate.

No, it doesn't. Again, Windows. Explain to me how the world has managed to survive for the past 20 years with online updates, downloaded programs, so on and so forth in the Windows environment if there's "no way" for a system to operate without accounts.

quote: There is no way around that on any platform.

Did I mention Windows? Or for that matter, probably Mac OSs too. Maybe even Linux. Dunno. But for you to even say such a stupid thing is ridiculously terrifying and funny at the same time.

Windows? If a PC OS is the basis of your argument here, you're more confused than I thought.

quote: There's no possible need for a Gmail account if you already have existing email accounts from other services. Just let consumers plug in their existing email address. Done.

How many times do people have to tell you? You need a Google account, not a Gmail account. They just throw Gmail in with it. Guess what? You don't even have to set up Gmail. NOBODY is forcing you to use Gmail. Why can't you understand this?

quote: Secondly...why not let someone use an EXISTING email account they have - regardless of the provider?

Why not at least search for the possibility instead of assuming you can't?

"Well, Windows for one. Do you need a Microsoft account to use Windows Update? "

We are talking about mobile OS's here. Not legacy PC stuff with CDROM's.- You do need it for IOS, WP8,Android, BB10, even WebOS... For that matter, even Metro UI on W8 needs it to save your settings and get Metro apps. This is just the way it is. It's not my doing bro.

As for the rest of your post, I dont think you are grasping a few important things here...

#1 - You dont have to use GMAIL at all, ever. You can even uninstall it

#2 - MOBILE OS - look into it. All of your arguments are comparing 20 year old legacy systems against modern mobile OS's and are therefore not comparable. Please, name me a mobile platform that can do this without creating an account.

Even on Windows you cant sync info to the cloud without SOME sort of an account FFS. Think about what you are saying.